RTDNA/NEFE Personal Finance Award winners announced

August 10, 2017 11:00

RTDNA and the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) proudly announce the winners of the 2017 RTDNA/NEFE Award for Personal Finance Reporting. As part of the two organizations' ongoing efforts to encourage radio, television and online news outlets to report on personal finance issues, three winners have been chosen for their outstanding work. They are:

Richard Eisenberg is the Senior Web Editor of the Money & Security and Work & Purpose channels of Next Avenue and Managing Editor for the site. His winning entry focused on advice for boomers desperate to unload family heirlooms.

Leoneda Inge is WUNC's "Race and Southern Culture Reporter." She is the first public radio journalist in the South to hold such a position, which explores modern and historical constructs to tell stories of poverty and wealth, health and food culture, education and racial identity. Her winning entry looked at the phenomenon of black-owned financial institutions and their recent growth.

Michelle Mortensen and Sarita Kichok focus on consumer news. Each week, they help viewers solve problems, get their money back when they've been ripped off, and warm about the biggest scams in the area. Their winning entry included examples of their work in the past year. This is the second RTDNA/NEFE award for Mortensen and Kichok.

Each winning entrant receives a $1000 cash prize and will co-present a training seminar entitled Money Matters: Excellence in Financial Reporting at Excellence in Journalism 2017, the national convention of RTDNA, the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, September 7-9 in Anaheim, California. The winners will break down their award-winning submissions and share the key reporting tools and best practices they used to add depth to their reporting. Audience members will walk away from the session with several ways to creatively approach their reporting and make comprehensive topics more digestible to viewers and listeners.

About NEFE
The National Endowment for Financial Education provides financial education and practical information to people at all financial stages. NEFE believes that regardless of background or income level more financially informed individuals are better able to take control of their circumstances, improve their quality of life, and ensure a more stable future for themselves and their families.

About RTDNA
RTDNA is the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. Founded as a grassroots organization in 1946, RTDNA works to protect the rights of electronic journalists throughout the country, promotes ethical standards in the industry, provides members with training and education and honors outstanding work in the profession through the Edward R. Murrow Awards.